Tormenta faces Charlotte needing a win to keep control of playoff fate

Photo Credit: Tormenta FC

Tormenta and Charlotte will match up for the fourth time on Saturday.

The two tied 1-1 on July 20th in a Jagermeister Cup game (Charlotte won 3-2 on penalties)

They tied 1-1 on June 1 in a regular season match.

The pair tied, you guessed it, 1-1 on April 27 in another Cup match (with Charlotte winning 5-4 on penalties)

If we go back to last year, in the 2023 regular season finale, Charlotte and Tormenta tied, 1-1.

You have to go back to August 12, 2023, five meetings ago, to find a match that didn't end 1-1 (that one was a 3-2 Independence win.)

You have to go all the way back to the first round of the 2022 playoffs to find the last time Tormenta actually defeated Charlotte. (Though if you're going to win just one, a playoff one is a good one to win.)

What I'm saying is Tormenta is due for another win against Charlotte. It would be a much needed win for South Georgia as Charlotte would need an epic collapse over their final six games to miss the playoffs. They currently sit with 29 points and second place, part of a group of seven teams that have broken away from the pack and appear relatively safe to make the postseason.

Tormenta, meanwhile, is one of four teams who have between 16 and 18 points and have five games remaining. The good news is South Georgia controls their own destiny as they have 18 points, while Lexington has 17 with Richmond and Chattanooga both with 16 points. (Central Valley seems cooked after their 7-1 loss to Lexington on Wednesday night, but they're still alive in the playoff hunt.)

"I think we've got to be a little bit more desperate on Saturday," Tormenta Manager Ian Cameron said. "I think we've got to play with an air of desperation for our fans and for our position and to turn the tide and make that a win." 

"In our minds, it's do or die now," he said. "Every game is a playoff game and this is the start of our playoff push and we hope it continues all the way to the final but we've got some work to do to get there." 

The bad news is Tormenta has a tough schedule to close out the season, with games against Northern Colorado, Omaha and Greenville who all are well above the playoff line. The only game they have against the bottom half of the standings is an October 12 match with Richmond. 

Charlotte is second in the league in scoring with 28 on the season, while they've only surrendered 20 goals against. Goalkeeper Austin Pack has been a wall in goal with 72 saves on the year, trailing only Chattanooga's TJ Bush's 80.

Cameron said Pack is "very, very strong," as a goalkeeper and has stepped up over the years when Charlotte hasn't been at their best.

"In the last two years, I can visualize four or five games where Austin has won them the game and that's what he's paid to do," Cameron said. "I don't want to over stress that. His job is to be an outstanding goalkeeper for his team and win them games when he's called upon the same way Drew (Romig), Ford (Parker) and Sam (Jones) have that responsibilty for us. 

The Independence offense is led by Juan Carlos Obregon, Jr. and his league-leading 11 goals in 2024. (He's tied with Lyam MacKinnon of Greenville). Gabriel Obertan, Luis Alvarez and Joel Johnson each have three goals as well to pace a potent offensive attack.

Cameron had high praise for Obregon, Jr. IQ and movement, but said he's confident in his center backs and defensive unit as a whole that they'll be able to contain him.

"The biggest challenge with Obergon is, when we're defending, I think we can manage him better, but as you're attacking, keeping an eye on him. Understanding when we're pressing, understanding where he's relieving pressure for Charlotte."

"Obregon is a (USL) Championship caliber striker, but at the same token, I think we've got two center back who could apply their trade in the Championship," he said. 

In each of the three matches this season with Charlotte, Tormenta has conceded the first goal and required some late game heroics to salvage a draw. In their first matchup, Sebastian Vivas' score three minutes into second half stoppage time leveled the score. In the regular season match in June, it was a 79th minute goal from Mason Tunbridge that saw Tormenta draw even with Charlotte. And in their most recent matchup on July 20th, Callum Stretch's score in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time pulled Tormenta even.

Cameron said at this Thursday press conference that he knows Charlotte will be a test on Saturday night.

"They've got a head coach who is probably the savviest in the league with the most experience in the league," he said of Mike Jefferies. 

"The staff, the players bring lots of challenges," he said. "Playing them for the fourth time, we both know each other." 

Cameron pointed to the acquisitions of Aaron Walker and Curtis Thorn in the past few weeks as players who know what it takes to win a championship and can provide leadership and accountability.

"Part of their appointment here is 'can you be the two guys who get us over the hump and in to the playoffs and help us navigate the playoffs once we're there," he said. 

Kickoff is set for 7:30 with the game ball being brought in via a helicopter, which Cameron said is the coolest way he's ever seen a game ball delivered. "I'll be honest, helicopters scare the bejesus out of me so I'll just watch it from inside somewhere," he joked.